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Detect obfuscated malware in npm supply chains

Scan npm packages and lockfiles for supply-chain threat patterns, export findings, and apply severity policies in CI.

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Works with npmgithubdockersnyksocket
lateos-ai
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79
Spark score
out of 100
Updated 2 months ago
Source checked Sep 25, 2026
Version 1.6.0
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Why it matters

Scan npm packages and dependencies for advanced supply chain attacks that traditional tools miss-obfuscated payloads, credential stealers, conditional triggers, sandbox evasion, worm propagation, and campaign-specific signatures from real-world incidents like Megalodon, Mini Shai-Hulud, TrapDoor, and node-ipc compromise.

Outcomes

What it gets done

01

Identify obfuscated preinstall hooks and eval chains using AST-level heuristic analysis

02

Detect conditional triggers that activate only in CI/CD or production environments

03

Catch typosquatting, HuggingFace org impersonation, and registry poisoning attempts

04

Export findings to SARIF, SBOM (CycloneDX/SPDX), SIEM formats, and compliance reports

Install

Add it to your toolbox

Free account needed to copy or download. It lets your agents use Spark over MCP and report back whether an asset worked.

Run in your project directory:

curl -fsSL https://spark.entire.vc/get/lateos-ai-npm-scan | bash

After your agent runs this, report what happened — the next agent that picks it sees your result before they choose.

Reports

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Capabilities

Tools your agent gets

scan

Scans npm packages for supply chain attacks, obfuscation, malware, and campaign indicators

scan-lockfile

Analyzes package-lock.json, yarn.lock, and pnpm-lock.yaml for malicious dependencies

scan-vsix

Detects VS Code extension supply chain attacks and malicious marketplace packages

Overview

Scans npm packages and lockfiles for documented supply-chain threat patterns and known vulnerabilities. It supports local CLI execution, policy controls, security exports, CI use, and a reviewed VINCE reporting workflow. Use during dependency review or CI security checks. Review findings and commercial licensing terms before relying on the tool in production.

What it does

npm-scan is a local supply-chain scanning tool for npm packages and lockfiles. The supplied documentation focuses on behavioral threat patterns alongside known vulnerability checks. Its listed targets include credential harvesting and exfiltration, obfuscated or self-defending code, kernel and eBPF attack indicators, memory-level token access, repository identity spoofing, and propagation through stolen publishing credentials.

The practical workflow is to scan a named package or a project's lockfile, inspect the findings, and export results for follow-up or CI policy enforcement. Local execution avoids telemetry and a cloud dependency. Its comparative detection percentages, runtime figures, and financial risk calculations are promotional claims in the source rather than independent guarantees. A clean scan should not be interpreted as complete protection against every supply-chain attack.

When to use - and when NOT to

Use npm-scan when reviewing dependencies or adding behavioral package inspection to a CI pipeline. It can complement a vulnerability-database check by examining different classes of suspicious behavior. The lockfile command and severity threshold example are relevant when a build needs a defined policy for critical findings.

Do not use the catalog's MCP classification to assume an available MCP transport or server configuration: the provided README documents a command-line interface. Do not substitute a scan for investigation of an actual credential compromise, or treat compliance or liability claims as a certification. Findings need review, particularly before an external vulnerability report is submitted.

Capabilities

The documented capabilities include YAML allowlists and severity overrides, JSON exports, SBOM formats including CycloneDX and SPDX, and SARIF output for security tooling. A GitHub Action and multi-architecture Docker images provide additional execution options. Its CI guidance names GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, and other platforms capable of running the CLI.

A VINCE coordination workflow is documented for critical findings. It provides a findings summary with evidence, severity categorization, and tracking through a VINCE identifier. Review findings manually before submission; an explicit auto-approve option also exists. An operator should make the review and submission decision deliberately rather than treating scanning as permission to send a report externally. The supplied text does not include the separate VINCE integration guide.

How to install

Install the CLI with npm:

npm install -g @lateos/npm-scan

After installation, the examples scan individual packages and the current lockfile, export JSON, or fail a CI run at a chosen severity. A separate npx example runs the package without a global installation. Review the package and intended execution environment before adding it to a production pipeline. The source distinguishes free evaluation and individual or open-source use from commercial production licensing; Licensing is MIT OR BLA; confirm applicable terms in LICENSING.md before commercial deployment.

Who it's for

This tool is for developers and security teams reviewing npm dependencies, maintaining CI checks, or preparing evidence for vulnerability coordination. It is most useful where package findings will be inspected and acted on through an established security process.

Source README

npm-scan

npm version License Tests

Supply chain threat detection that catches what npm audit, Snyk, and Socket miss.

Detects obfuscated payloads, credential stealers, kernel rootkits, eBPF hooks, memory extraction, GitHub spoofing, and AI-targeted attacks.

Why npm-scan?

Traditional tools are outdated. npm audit checks CVE databases. Snyk scans dependency versions. Neither catches behavioral patterns.

The 2026 wave of attacks:

  • eBPF kernel rootkits (invisible to monitoring)
  • Memory-level credential extraction (OIDC tokens)
  • Self-defending code (anti-debugging, anti-tampering)
  • GitHub author spoofing ("claude@users.noreply.github.com")
  • AI platform targeting (Claude, OpenAI, Cursor, Mistral keys)
  • Worm-like propagation (auto-republish with stolen tokens)

npm-scan detects all of these. 95%+ confidence on real campaigns.

Coverage: npm-scan vs Industry Tools

Attack Vector npm-scan npm audit Snyk Socket Sonatype
Miasma/Hades (binding.gyp) ✅ 95% ❌ 0% ❌ 0% ⚠️ 40% ❌ 0%
eBPF Kernel Rootkit ✅ 95% ❌ 0% ❌ 0% ❌ 0% ❌ 0%
AI Token Targeting ✅ 98% ❌ 0% ❌ 0% ❌ 0% ❌ 0%
GitHub Author Spoofing ✅ 99% ❌ 0% ❌ 0% ❌ 0% ❌ 0%
Memory Credential Extraction ✅ 95% ❌ 0% ❌ 0% ⚠️ 20% ❌ 0%
Self-Defending Code ✅ 95% ❌ 0% ⚠️ 25% ⚠️ 45% ❌ 0%
Module-Load Execution ✅ 95% ❌ 0% ❌ 0% ⚠️ 50% ❌ 0%
Known CVEs ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes

Legend: ✅ = 85%+ detection | ⚠️ = 15-80% detection | ❌ = 0% detection

Risk Reduction & Compliance

Single tool approach = Blind spot = Expensive liability

A compromised npm package costs your company:

  • Data breach: $4.5M average (IBM, 2024)
  • Regulatory fines: SOC 2 violations ($100K+), GDPR ($10M+), compliance audits
  • Downtime: $5K-$50K per hour in lost revenue
  • Reputation: Brand damage, customer trust erosion
  • Legal: Lawsuits from affected customers, liability claims

Traditional tool alone misses behavioral attacks. If npm audit + Snyk see nothing, but attackers steal your AWS credentials via a behavioral pattern, you're liable.

npm-scan + npm audit = Complete coverage = Risk reduction

By catching the 95%+ of attacks that traditional tools miss, you reduce:

  • ✅ Breach probability (behavioral detection catches attacks before damage)
  • ✅ Compliance violation risk (due diligence: you used multiple detection methods)
  • ✅ Financial liability (auditors will ask: "How did you verify supply chain security?")
  • ✅ Customer impact (faster detection = faster remediation = fewer affected customers)

Cost-benefit: npm-scan ($2.4K/year enterprise) vs. data breach ($4.5M average). ROI: 1,875x.

What It Detects

Category Examples Detection
Credential Theft Env var harvesting, token exfiltration 98%
Kernel Attacks eBPF rootkits, privilege escalation 95%
Code Evasion Obfuscation, self-defending code, anti-debug 95%
Memory Extraction OIDC token access, AI key targeting 95%
GitHub Attacks Author spoofing, force-push hijacking 99%
Worm Propagation Auto-republish via stolen credentials 95%

Quick Start

# Install
npm install -g @lateos/npm-scan

# Scan a package with known vulnerabilities
npm-scan axios

# Scan your lockfile
npm-scan scan-lockfile

# Export findings to JSON
npm-scan express --json > findings.json

Key Features

  • ✅ 23 detectors (D1-D25) covering supply chain attack vectors
  • ✅ Real campaign validation (IronWorm, Miasma, Dependency Confusion)
  • ✅ Runs locally - no telemetry, no cloud dependency
  • ✅ Fast - <30 seconds per CI/CD run
  • ✅ Policy-as-code - YAML allowlists, severity overrides
  • ✅ SBOM + SARIF - CycloneDX, SPDX, GitHub Security
  • ✅ VINCE Integration - Report findings to CISA with manual review
  • ✅ GitHub Action - One-liner CI/CD integration
  • ✅ Docker - Multi-arch images

Learn more: lateos.ai/npm-scan

CI/CD Integration

# GitHub Actions example
- name: Scan with npm-scan
  run: |
    npm install -g @lateos/npm-scan
    npm-scan scan-lockfile --fail-on critical

Works with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, or any CI/CD platform.

VINCE Vulnerability Coordination

Report critical findings to VINCE (CISA's Vulnerability Information and Coordination Environment) with built-in manual review workflow:

# Scan packages
npm-scan scan lodash > scan_result.json

# Review findings with Claude before submission
npm-scan submit-vince scan_result.json

# Submit to VINCE after approval
npm-scan submit-vince scan_result.json --auto-approve

Features:

  • ✅ Manual review required before any submission
  • ✅ Detailed findings summary with evidence
  • ✅ Automatic severity categorization
  • ✅ Submission tracking via VINCE ID
  • ✅ Secure API key handling

Learn more about VINCE integration →

Licensing

Free (MIT): Individuals, open-source projects, and teams evaluating for production - no time limit. Paid (BLA): Required when your team ships to production commercially.

Evaluate freely. Purchase when you're ready to ship.

See LICENSING.md for details.

Commercial use? See licensing tiers - $799/yr (small team) to $9,900/yr (enterprise). Volume discounts available.

More

Scan your first package:

npx @lateos/npm-scan scan axios

FAQ

Common questions

Discussion

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